A lot can happen in four years….
4 years ago I was packing up to move to Madison, a city I had never been to and knew nothing about. Today I am wrapping up 4 whole years in this incredible city on one of the best campuses in the country, saying goodbye to students whose lives were changed on this campus and are now headed out to change the world! I wanted to send out an end of the year email to all of you who have faithfully prayed and financially supported this ministry through the years and share with you not only the testimonies of this year, but the stories of our 2020 seniors whose lives were completely transformed through this team of supporters.
Meet our 2020 seniors! The class that took a chance on a bunch of strangers and laid the foundation for what Chi Alpha Madison will look like for years to come
Meet Madelyn: Madelyn showed up to my house for the first game night I had on campus. She was one of our first small group leaders and from her small group three students came to know Jesus for the first time and now lead small groups of their own. She is going into PA school, is a researcher for NASA, and excited to learn what serving Jesus looks like in this new season.
Meet Charlie: Charlie grew up in the church but spent his first year in Madison experimenting with the party scene and not in church. His sophomore year a friend invited him to Chi Alpha, the year we were meeting in a dark creepy basement because we outgrew our other space. That night I was preaching on John 15, and the importance of community. This was the first night he recognized feeling the presence of God. After service he signed up for a small group that completely changed His life. He leads on our worship team and after graduation will be a data analyst and continue to volunteer with Chi Alpha and serve at New Culture Church on our worship team
Meet Lizzie: Lizzie grew up only going to church on holidays and later in highschool attended youth groups a few times with a friend. Towards the end of her freshman year she was ready to give up on the parties and lifestyle that came with it and wanted to know more about Jesus, but didn’t know where to start. She found out about Chi Alpha and her first night responded to an altar call that was given by our guest speaker Pastor Don Wickstrum and surrendered her life to Jesus. After a year of discipleship she led a small group, was our worship intern, started taking her credentialing courses and now after graduation will be on staff with Chi Alpha Madison as a Missionary Associate.
There is so much I could say and share about this class but the biggest thing I want to say is THANK YOU!
These are just a few of the stories that make up the incredible legacy that this class is leaving. And none of this would be possible without YOU. Your support is not only impacting the campus of UW Madison, but now the cities of Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, and all the way to Zambia!! A lot can happen in four years. We have seen over 600 different students come through our doors (over 300 this year alone) and this year had 75 students consistently in small group bible studies and being discipled. THANK YOU for taking a chance on a team moving to Madison with a crazy dream to see God move. THANK YOU for continuing to support that dream. TOGETHER we are changing the world one student's life at a time.
Abbie Sawczak
For 2020 Senior Testimonies go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6NsPr48u28&feature=youtu.be